Mars has fascinated humanity since Galileo Galilei accurately observed it more than 400 years ago. Now we’re getting to the point of trying to land spaceships on the planet, which is the stated goal of President Donald Trump and his advisor, Elon Musk.
Before any human-occupied ship makes that trek of up to 140 million miles, the U.S. has to figure out how safe it will be and what it might be like for anyone who steps foot on the planet’s surface. NASA’s Perseverance rover landed there in 2021.
UNLV geoscience Professor Libby Hausrath is a part of the Perseverance mission, analyzing findings of 28 samples recovered by the rover. By the late 2030s, the mission will end with the analysis of 43 samples.
Guest: Libby Hausrath, aqueous geochemist, astrobiologist, and professor, UNLV
